


A New Hope

by mcgarrygirl78



Category: Criminal Minds
Genre: Drama, F/M, Family, Friendship, Humor, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-10-12
Updated: 2014-10-12
Packaged: 2018-02-20 18:30:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2438585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mcgarrygirl78/pseuds/mcgarrygirl78
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>No one would want to remember Jack’s 5th birthday as the year the BAU, U.S. Marshals, and State Department beat down his stepfather.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A New Hope

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn’t going to name it this, it’s kinda cheesy but it fits. I always write a fic for myself on my birthday. This is the first time in a long time it’s been my OTP. Foyet didn’t kill Haley or Sam Kassmeyer in my fanon universe. They were both severely injured but survived.

Hotch knew he went overboard but didn’t really care. He couldn’t be there the year before. While they were all used to the job keeping them apart, last year was different. Haley and Jack were in hiding. He didn’t know where they were and feared for their safety everyday. Hotch had reason to worry…Foyet eventually got his hands on them. He left Haley for dead and Jack would’ve suffered the same fate if the BAU hadn't gotten there in time.

Almost a year later and Hotch still woke in a cold sweat…he had nightmares about it. Even on this happy occasion it was still in the recesses of his mind. No matter how hard he tried, it never left. Jack said he wanted to be Luke Skywalker for his birthday so his father decided to throw him a _Star Wars_ themed party. He considered hiring an actor to play Darth Vader but though that might scare Jack and the little friends he invited. They ranged in age from two year old Henry LaMontagne to some six year olds he knew from school.

Instead Hotch planned to give every guest a light saber. He hired a magician and his assistant dressed as Han Solo and Princess Leia. There was a life-size Millennium Falcon that spun around, and a bouncy ball cage. That didn’t have anything to do with Star Wars but you couldn’t have a kids’ party without one.

For months while planning, Hotch had no idea where to hold it. All the halls, pizza places, and VFWs wanted to add nearly another grand to the expanding bill. Gregory and Natalie Prentiss, his in-laws, graciously offered their spacious Chevy Chase backyard. They had plenty of room for an extravaganza and were happy to do it for Hotch and Jack.

Once Natalie got involved, Hotch could stop pulling his hair out by the root. He gave her all the information he’d gathered and a list of things he’d ordered and was thinking about. In a perfect stroke of diplomatic genius, Nat’s first call was to Jessie and Haley...she was sure they wanted to be involved in the planning. They took on the task of invitations and the menu. Jack, of course, wanted pizza.

It was his favorite food. He wanted pizza from Pizza Pete’s. Haley thought it would be fun to get a huge Darth Vader piñata for the kids to beat on. She set about trying to find one and Jessie left her to it. She knew how important it was for her older sister to be involved.

Almost a year after the attack that nearly killed her, Haley was still in recovery. She would never be the same, mentally or physically. There were days when she was bitter about that. She brushed all of it aside to give her son a great day. Haley knew she wouldn’t always be there to celebrate with him. She survived Foyet’s attack by the skin of her teeth but it would catch up with her eventually.

It was hot on the big day; the entire month of August was hot. Emily had to pray for strength as she was in her eighth month of pregnancy. She spent most of the day in the shade, relaxing in a semi-comfortable lawn chair as children ran all around her. In a twisted sense of irony, Haley sat beside her doing the same. Her energy waned and the heat didn’t help much.

When her husband Steve wasn’t running around with the kids, _Star Wars_ was one of his favorite films, he waited on Haley hand and foot. Hotch did the same for Emily. But in some East Berlin/West Berlin type stalemate, the men were never at the table at the same time. Emily and Haley actually shared a laugh about it. It wasn’t often they did that type of thing. Today was supposed to be a good day and dammit, they were going to make sure it was.

Jack was having a blast. He was so excited to hang out with all of his friends from school and soccer, which he just recently started playing. He was happy to have all of his uncles there. Uncle Sam, who he did the ‘duck walk’ with cuz he had ‘totally awesome’ plastic knees. Uncle Kevin actually had his own official light saber.

Uncle Derek could carry him around on his shoulders all day as if he was as light as a feather. Uncle Dave was kinda mellow but always ready with a hug, high five, or some smuggled candy. Uncle Spencer did magic tricks and his Yoda voice. Uncle Will tumbled, rolled, and ran; never seemed to grow too tired. There was so much food to enjoy…pizza, cookies, candy, and juice. All the games were awesome and Jack got to win the light saber fights because he was the birthday boy.

There was a person taking pictures and he got all the extra special attention from Mommy, Aunt Jessie, Emily, Natty, and Nana, who came all the way from Richmond for his big day. It was really the best day ever. He was so excited when they brought out the giant birthday cake. Jack asked for red velvet, his favorite, and Natty made it all by herself. Happy Birthday Jack was written across the frosting while Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader Legos battled on top. His father held him in his arms as everyone gathered around to sing.

 _Happy birthday to you_  
Happy birthday to you  
Happy birthday dear Jack  
Happy birthday to you…and many more!!!

“Make a wish, buddy,” Hotch said. “And blow out the candles.”

“Any wish I want?” Jack asked.

“Anything you want. And then you blow out the candles.”

Jack thought really hard about it, there were so many good wishes to choose from. He only had one though. So he closed his eyes really tight, wished for it, and blew out all five candles on the first try. Everyone cheered and he smiled as Hotch and Haley hugged him close.

Emily stood back, letting them have their moment. She knew how difficult it was for Hotch not to be there last year. Glancing over at Steve, she saw he wasn’t feeling in the mood to be as gracious. He held his tongue though, surely because he was woefully outnumbered. No one wanted to remember Jack’s 5th birthday as the year the BAU, U.S. Marshals, and State Department beat down his stepfather.

After everyone gorged on cake, and complimented Natalie into the ground on how good it was, it was time to open presents. Emily had her third piece of cake while Jack ripped off gift wrap like a little T-Rex. He oohed and aahed over every gift; and there were plenty of them. Even Grandma Elizabeth sent him toy soldiers all the way Prague, where she was working. Jack’s friends thought that was awesome. Prague may as well have been Mars. Jessie and Sam wrote down everyone who gave a gift and card so they could send out thank you notes in the coming week.

The food, cake, cookies, and juice seemed to give the kids a second wind. The last ninety minutes of the party seemed the most boisterous as parents and party organizers alternated shifts between supervising the kids and taking a few minutes to relax. Natalie was in the thick of it the entire time, seeming to get all her energy from Jack and the other kids. No one would’ve guessed she’d been up since 7am preparing to make this the best birthday ever. As with all of her endeavors, it was a rousing success.

As excited kids left with light sabers and goodie bags, Natalie, Hotch, and Jack said a personal goodbye to everyone. Then the men said they would clean up so their wives could relax. They weren't going to argue with that so they say around a table chatting and chilling out. JJ held a sleeping Henry, he’d tuckered himself out. Jack sat in Jessie’s lap with his mom close by holding his hand. Conversation was scattered but comfortable; it had been a good day for everyone.

“Look at him.” Hotch said, nudging Dave. “He looks like the happiest little boy on the planet.”

“I have to say if I was cuddled in Jessie’s lap, I’d be the happiest boy on the planet too.”

Hotch smirked, pushing his friend.

“You are so…”

“Yeah I know,” Dave smiled. “Its part of my charm. He had a great day…you did a good job.”

“I probably overdid it, but I couldn’t help myself. It was worth the happiness on his face.”

“A kid only turns five once, Hotch. Jack will have many fond memories of today. I think we all will.”

***

Hotch walked out with Sam, Jessie, Haley, and Steve later that evening. He kissed Jessie’s cheek and gave Sam a handshake hug before they climbed into their SUV. The two men had gotten close over the last year as Sam recovered from George Foyet’s attack and fell head over heels for the younger Brooks sister. Hotch stood beside Haley’s open window as Steve got into the driver’s seat. The two men exchanged clipped niceties before Hotch focused on his ex.

“I'm glad that you had a good time today.” He said.

“It might take me a few days to recover from it but did you see Jack’s face? I can't remember the last time he was so animated. The past year has been tough for all of us and we needed this. Please thank Natalie again for all the work she did.”

“She loves Jack so much and the feeling is mutual.”

“I know.” Haley nodded.

“Give me a call in a few days…I’ll share the load with the thank you notes.”

“Don’t worry about it, Aaron.” She put her hand on top of his as it rested on the door. “Jessie and I will take care of it.”

“Call me anyway, OK?” Hotch lowered his voice some.

“Yeah.”

Backing up, Hotch waved as both cars pulled off. Sam honked and they disappeared down the street. Back in the house, Hotch walked through the den and found Gregory asleep on the couch. Jack was asleep on top of him like a giant cushion. _Scooby Doo_ was on TV, watching them.

Hotch wanted to stroke his son’s hair but didn’t want to wake them. He made his way to the kitchen; Emily and Nat were at the table with tea. 70s Carly Simon played on the radio as he poured hot water over an Earl Grey tea bag. Then he sat down beside his mother-in-law.

“I have chased Unsubs, for blocks. I've been in high speed car chases, run into burning buildings, broke down doors even. But right now I think I'm more tired than I've ever been.”

“Do you take vitamins?” Natalie asked.

“Most of the time.”

“If that means next to never,” Emily replied. “Then he’s on point.”

Hotch grinned, blowing on his tea.

“Haley wanted me to thank you again, Nat. Everything was fantastic and Jack was so happy.”

“I feared I went overboard. It’s been a while since I've thrown a kids’ party. I just wanted it to be perfect for him.”

“It was. Now he and the Ambassador are in the den asleep, with _Scooby Doo_ on television. We should probably get him home soon.”

“Actually, I thought we could just spend the night here, honey.” Emily said. “Jack is definitely all partied out. And between my back, ankles, and that fourth piece of cake I know I shouldn’t have eaten, I don’t think I can move. You don’t mind terribly, do you?”

“Of course I don’t mind. Jack has a set of essentials here and so do we. We can stay.”

“Good.” Emily smiled. “I'm exhausted. It was a great day though. I might have to do a theme for my next birthday.”

“You should save it for next year.” Nat replied. “A themed 40th sounds fabulous.”

“How does Decade of Decadence sound?” Emily asked.

“Troublesome.” Her husband said.

“I know…that’s why I love it. Garcia already did heaven and hell so I'm sure I can think of something. I’ll sleep on it.”

“Speaking of sleeping on it, I better go and get Jack. He’s heavy and might give the Ambassador a herniated disk. I’ll put him down and then come back to enjoy more tea.”

“Nat’s gonna smoke a clove.” Emily replied. “And I'm gonna be envious.”

“Soon, baby. You'll be able to very soon.”

She smiled as Hotch got up from the chair, leaned to kiss her, and left the room. Then Emily turned the smile to her stepmother.

“Oh my God, today was insane. There were kids everywhere, noise, trash, kids…it was fun but I'm soooo glad it’s over.”

“I think the parents and step-parents did a great job.” Natalie said.

“Did you see Steve during cake?” Emily asked.

“Yes. He’ll get better; it takes getting used to. There are so many of you and one of him.”

“Maybe he can get friendly with Strauss. It must be the same for her.”

“I don’t think that will any put brownie points in his favor.” Natalie replied.

“I don’t think we’ll do this very often so he won't have to make nice so much. That’s why I'm glad today went so well. Your cake was crack, by the way.”

“Should I say thank you?”

“You want to thank me…light that clove.”

Natalie smiled, pulling one from the pack on the table. As she took a deep inhale so did her stepdaughter.

“That smells amazing.”

“Aaron was right; you'll be able to have one soon. You’ll give birth next month.”

Emily nodded. She was petrified of giving birth but hadn't told a soul about it. Just thinking about it now made her nervous. But she had to if she ever wanted to smoke again or not walk around with a bowling ball in front of her. At this point both urges were equal in their intensity.

“We've got a lot more years of these parties.” Natalie went on.

“You'll be up to your elbows in red velvet cake mix.” Emily said.

“I do whatever I can for my grandkids.”

“You're glowing.”

“So are you.”

“Mine is hormonal.” Emily replied. “What's your excuse?”

“I'm happy.” Natalie said. “I'm happy for all of us. We’re getting past the darkness and we’re stronger as a family.”

Emily nodded. She was happy to see Haley today, tired but excited for her little boy. She always enjoyed time with Jessie and Sam. Jack was happier than she’d seen him in a while and he knew how loved he was. Nat was right, the darkness was lifting.

Time moved on as it always did and though there were surely scars that would never go away, they would fade until they were just shadows on the edge of memories. If it was one thing Emily was used to and knew how to navigate, it was shadows. She and Hotch, and their families, would get through this together. It was time to focus on all the good things coming their way and to leave the past behind.

***

  



End file.
